I am participating in prompt # 100: This is huge - we need to celebrate which will be in bold.
I started with Wacky Drabbles at prompt # 28. I have enjoyed the ride thus far. Looking forward to a 100 more!
This is also chapter 14 of Just the Way You Are. To catch up with what you’ve been missing Please Click: Just The Way You Are
Nic,Taylor, and Daphne are my own characters, all others belong to Pixelberry.
The Book: Perfect Match x TRR
Pairings: Hayden x Kai (M!Hayden x F!Kai) / (Liam x Riley)
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Word Count 498
A/N: Thank you at @jessiembruno for mentioning Damien needed to be a part of the next part I am working on with this series for the Liam and Riley / Nic / Daphne part. And here he is!
Riley knocked on the office door peeking her head in.
"Hey D."
"Riley!" Damien jumped up from the desk walking around to give her a hug.
"It's been a long time Damien."
"Too long! How are you? How's everyone?"
"Not even the least bit smooth D. I'm good, Kai is too. You should reach out to her. A lot is going on in her life. Big things.”
“So what’s going on with you Ri? You booked a consultation?”
She explained the situation with Daphne.
“And it’s all of a sudden. I don’t think it’s because she wants to be a mother now, like she claims. That she wants to be a part of Nic’s life, that she thinks I'm incapable of raising him because I’m not Greek and besides who the hell knows anyway? I know nothing about my birth parents, I might be Greek.”
“If you ever want to know, I can look into that for you.”
“I have great parents D. Taylor doesn’t want to dredge up anything either. We both want to leave well enough alone.”
“I need the name of this woman.”
“It's Daphne. Daphne Vasilakis.”
“Give me a little time, I’ll find every piece of dirt there is out there about her.”
“Thanks so much D. Sorry I didn’t keep in better touch with you.”
“I know how it goes. When people part ways... Kai was your friend first.”
“Don’t be a stranger though Damien. I know you do the brooding loner thing so well, but enough is enough dude!"
It had been long enough. Long enough that Hayden should’ve moved on from the news. Long enough that she shouldn’t feel so empty and aimless in her life. Long enough that she should be happy with Kai, enjoying her new self.
But even though it had been long enough, Hayden couldn’t shake it. She felt like there was a black hole inside her, a void where there were once memories and feelings and emotions that she thought were real. That were real. They had to have been real...at least some of them. Right?
“Hay?” Kai asked as she walked into the bedroom. “You okay?”
Hayden turned, affixing the perfect smile to her face. She wondered if that was programmed too. “Of course,” she said easily. It pained her, how effortless it was to hide herself from Kai.
Kai sat down beside her, taking her hand. “Good,” she replied, smiling her wide, careless grin. Hayden’s stomach did a flip...surely that wasn’t programmed? “I was thinking we could go to the park?”
“Of course,” Hayden replied, squeezing her hand. “That’s a lovely idea.”
Kai stood, bouncing to the closet. Hayden loved her easy-going nature, the way she could put everything that happened behind her and pretend that everything...including Hayden...was normal.
She wished she could be more like Kai. But there was a restlessness inside of her, a voice that kept whispering to her. You’re not real. You’re not good enough. You don’t deserve to live.
The thoughts were dark, unsettling. They made Hayden want to cry, they made her want to hide in Kai’s arms. And yet, there was something else, too. A desire to reach into her body and pull out every cog and wire, to tear herself limb from limb until she was nothing but a pile of parts.
Kai slammed the closet door shut, shaking Hayden from her revelry. She smiled at Kai, trying to shake away the thoughts that clung to her heart. “You look beautiful,” she said, wrapping her arms around Kai’s waist.
“Really?” asked Kai, her voice insecure. “I didn’t think anything looked good on me.”
“If you keep that up,” Kai groaned, “we won’t be going to the park.”
Hayden backed off with a chuckle, putting her hands up in response. They pulled on their shoes and headed out the door, the sun shining bright.
The park was only a few blocks away, but Kai was quick to pull Hayden’s hand into hers. She interlaced their fingers, her warmth giving Hayden chills. Was this just part of her programming?
“It’s so nice out!” Kai said happily, rubbing her thumb on Hayden’s. It was such a small gesture, one she’d done so many times before, but this time felt more...tender. Hayden couldn’t take it. She pulled away, feigning a cough into her hand.
“You aren’t getting sick, are you?” asked Kai.
“No,” Hayden said, smiling. “I’m fine.”
Kai frowned, but remained silent. She knew Hayden was unfamiliar with certain implications, but surely she’d picked up on the way Kai used fine to mean that she was most certainly not fine?
“Look,” Hayden said, pointing to the pond in the middle of the park. “They’re racing sailboats.”
Kai looked forward. Sure enough, children gathered around with controllers in hand, model sailboats racing through the pond. “Aw, that’s so cute!” she said with a grin.
She didn’t know why she felt like she needed to hide how she was feeling from Kai. Surely, she would understand. Or...at least she’d try to. But it felt wrong, to still be struggling like she was. She felt weak, and she felt like if she couldn’t handle this...maybe she didn’t even deserve someone as wonderful as Kai.
Kai walked quickly to a bench with a great view of the races, Hayden trailing behind.
Hayden could feel her mind spiraling as she smiled and sat next to Kai. What if this never got better? What if she never felt like herself again? Maybe the voice was right, maybe she wasn’t good enough. Not for Kai, not for the life she had...not for anything.
Her mind continued to spiral as she stared at the boats, her fists clenching tighter and tighter. She was startled when she felt Kai’s finger brush her cheek.
“Why are you crying?” Kai asked, concern in her voice. Hayden blinked, once. Twice. She hadn’t realized she was crying.
“I--” Hayden began, trying to come up with an excuse. “I--”
“Hayden,” Kai said, taking her face in her hands. Her eyes were bright, wide with worry. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”
“I--” Hayden repeated, before uttering a deep sigh. “I’m not okay. I haven’t been okay. I don’t...I don’t know if I’ll ever be okay again.”
She began to sob, Kai throwing her arms around her and pulling her close. “Shh,” Kai soothed her, rubbing her back. She cried until there were no tears left, her body exhausted but also, deep down, relieved.
“Hay,” Kai said, once she’d stilled. “It’s okay, to not be okay. But you can’t keep it all bottled up. You need to talk to me. That’s why I’m here, because I love you. I love you Hay, and if you’re not okay then I want to help.”
Hayden swallowed, feeling a tingling of hope, something she hadn’t felt in months. “I don’t know if you can help,” she admitted, her greatest fear finally spoken out loud.
“Maybe not,” Kai admitted. “But I can share your pain. I can share your pain, and we can try to find someone who can. You’re not alone, Hayden. You’re not alone.”
Hayden breathed in her smell, her hair tickling her face as she kissed her neck. For once, the voice was quiet.
I am participating in @wackydrabbles prompt #99 “How about once more -- for good luck!” will appear in bold.
This is also chapter 13 of Just The Way You Are. To catch up on this series please click: Just The Way You Are
I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated this story line, I’m sorry that I keep letting myself get sidetracked by new ideas and birthday fic series. Lol, I don’t have ADD but I think I know what it feels like, with the random ideas that keep popping in my head, between the ask ideas I have gotten to flip things other directions. I hope you are enjoying the ride.
So just to remind you where we are with this series, my last true episode of this series is I Am the Earthquake which featured Riley finding out that Liam had Nico’s heart, and Nico came to Riley to tell her goodbye, which I posted in April.
Honestly I don’t think there is much more to tell for this series as I’m pretty much close to accomplishing everything I intended on with this series. I feel an ending to this series is coming soon, just unclear exactly of how I’m going to end it.
The Book: TRR x Perfect Match
Pairing: Hayden x Kai (M!Hayden x F!Kai) / Liam x Riley
Warnings: Profanity
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1948
Summary: Riley gets an unexpected guest to her apartment. Hayden and Kai find out their test results.
Kai woke up the next morning feeling Hayden’s warmth totally encompassing her.
"Good morning."
Hayden kissed her forehead, continuing to hold her tight in his embrace.
"Good morning Kai, how did you sleep?"
"Like a baby," she whispered.
"You know they don't sleep through the night from what I can tell from my reading."
"I'm okay with being kept up.”
"Would you like some breakfast? I was thinking about making french toast.”
“With extra cinnamon?”
“Just the way you like it.” Hayden kissed the tip of her nose.
"That sounds great."
They cooked breakfast together, and sat on the patio to eat.
Dipper went from Kai to Hayden looking for treats from the table.
Hayden eyed Dipper. “Dipper, now you know you don’t get table food from me. That’s all your Mom’s doing.”
Kai laughed. “Guess we know who the cool parent is going to be when we have a child.”
“Me!” they both exclaimed in unison.
Both laughed. Dipper barked at their screaming happily.
As Hayden glanced away for a second, Kai gave Dipper a small piece of sausage, which she quickly gobbled up.
“Who’s the cool parent Dipper?”
Dipper nuzzled against Kai's leg.
“Told ya.” Kai stuck her tongue out at Hayden to which he laughed.
“You indeed are the junk food, party parent. Kai. Hands down.”
Hayden’s face softened.
“You’ll be the one who makes the menus when our children have sleepovers with their friends. Because every kid has to have junk food when their friends come over and spend the night. You’ll be the one that lets them stay up extra late, and sleep in, in the morning. I’ll make the cookies you ask for, but you’ll be the one to give them extra.”
Kai smiled, her eyes glistening with tears.
“Hayden, you’ll be the one to gently tell them to keep it down. You’ll be the one they call when they think they have monsters under the bed and in the closet for you to scare them away, and when they want Daddy’s strong arms to protect them.”
“Will we tell them about me? That I’m different?” He softened the words as he knew how upset it made Kai when he referred to himself as anything android based.
“When they’re old enough to understand what it means I think. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes, I want them to know, and truly understand what I am, and how wonderful a woman their mother is, that she still loves me in spite of everything.”
“We’ll be good parents Hayden because we love each other, and we’ll love them.”
“I want this with you so much.” Hayden whispered as he took her hand kissing her palm.
“And we’ll have it.”
A week later Riley met Kai for coffee.
“What’s the story, morning glory?”
Instead of the usual response Kai was expecting Riley opened with, “I still can’t believe it happened, and I have all the proof.”
Riley started the story back at Nico’s birthday at the cemetery and told her of all the details including him coming to her two nights ago.
“I don’t feel stuck anymore Kai. For the first time since Nico died, it doesn’t hurt to breathe. My heart hurt so much without him here. And the reason I hadn’t let go, is because he hadn’t either. And somehow, still in all of that…. I fell in love with Liam.”
Kai gasped.
“You were right. I love him, Kai. And I told him.”
“What did he say?”
“He loves me too. I’ve been a mess, and horrible to him, and he still loves me. I can’t believe all the people who could have gotten Nico’s heart, it was him. He was right here, the whole time. It’s amazing, and sad at the same time. If I hadn’t talked to Mama KH to go forward with the donation, Liam wouldn’t be here right now either. Liam understands that I will always love Nico, but he’s okay with that.”
“It’s quite an amazing story Riley.”
Across town Liam was having a similar conversation with Hayden at work.
“Wow........You… saw him?”
“Yes. I wasn’t dreaming.”
Liam told him about his first few months after surgery and what Nico had said he had done.
“I never completely believed in the supernatural. I mean I felt things. When I didn’t believe I was going to get a heart, I swore I could feel my parents lingering around me. And I was right. They were there for me, so I wouldn't be afraid of death. Hayden, I wasn't afraid to die, and because of that, I'm still not. Heart transplants don't last forever. I will be lucky to live ten more years. It will be worth it to spend it with Riley. Then I will be gone too. Which means there is a whole other world that we can’t even see right now and interact with that exists. Do you believe me Hayden?”
“I do. Even though I didn’t see it myself. I believe that you believe, that’s enough for me to know it’s real.”
Liam hugged Hayden. “Thank you.”
“So you and Riley are official now?”
Liam smiled. “Yes we are!!! She loves me, and I know it happened fast, but damn I love her too.”
“That’s really great. You know what that means the next step is right?
“What?”
“Your official coming out together dinner with the group.”
“Is that necessary?”
“Yes. Before you were just Riley’s ‘friend’, now you’re a lot more.”
Riley picked some things out for her guest room. Well it wouldn’t be a guest room for much longer Mama KH had started the paperwork to make Riley, Nic’s legal guardian. Mama KH had been dealing with some health concerns, that she hadn't let the family know of and they were getting worse. Had Riley had married Nico, she would have Nic anyway. Riley had talked to her parents, then Nic alone to see how he felt. He just asked one thing. He wanted to keep his father's name to which Riley agreed. He was going to start spending some nights with her to see how they could bond in this role together.
“This is my room right Mom?” he asked.
“Yes. It will be, I want to decorate it better for you.”
“Can I help?” Nic smiled. He was his father's son.
“Yes! We can do it together. I wanted to give you a couple of his things to keep here. Things I kept of your father when he died.”
Nic bit his lip. “Dad’s pajamas. You kept them?"
Riley nodded.
Nic held them close to him.
“They’ll still be a little too big for you right now. They'll fit you one day.”
He laid them on the bed.
Nic closed his eyes when he smelled the cologne.
"It smells like him. I never forgot. Can I put some on?"
"Just a little Nic. A little goes a long way with it. That was his favorite scent."
He gingerly sprayed a little on his shirt.
"Dad was supposed to teach me that kind of stuff. Now… it's going to be Liam?"
"Um….. Liam and I care about each other. Liam wants to get to know you too."
"Do you love Liam?"
"Yes. But it's different from the way I loved your Dad."
“I had a dream about him two weeks ago. It felt so real. Like he was here with me. He told me he was coming to say goodbye. Like he'd never left. Why did it have to be my Dad that had to die?”
“I don’t know Squirt.”
“I miss him Mom.”
Nic hugged her middle. Riley ran her fingers through his hair.
“I know baby, I miss him too.”
They hugged each other in silence for a few moments.
“Is that your phone?”
Riley ran into her room to find she had missed calls from Mama KH.
When she called Mama KH back, the first words she said to her was “She’s coming to your house. She used an investigator to find you. To find us.”
“Who?”
Nic walked to the door when he heard the knock.
“Hello?” He said to the woman standing at the door.
“Hi Nicolai. You look just like your father.”
"You knew my Dad?"
"Yes, I knew him very well."
“Mom there’s someone at the door!”
Riley came running into the room still holding her phone to her ear.
“She’s not your mother Nicolai, I am.” Riley dropped her phone.
Riley pulled Nic back away from the door, behind her protectively.
"Nico told me you gave up your rights. You have no right to come and try to claim him now."
"He is still my son. Do you really think I would let him be raised by a xénos?"
"I am not an outsider! Where were you?!? Where were you when he needed you all those years? Where were you when Nico died, and he cried for him so much? I was there through it all, the worst most painful time of our lives. You don't get to do this to us. Not now. Not ever."
Nic took Riley’s hand. He stood firm and tall; in that moment he had all of his fathers mannerisms as he stared Daphne down in anger.
“Mom please don’t cry. I lost my Dad, and I won’t lose her too!!!!!”
“She is not your mother.”
“YES SHE IS!!!!!!”
Nic screamed at her.
"You're upsetting him. You stay the hell away from us!!! You have no rights here!!!"
Riley slammed her door shut, locking it.
Riley wiped her tears. Nic gave her a hug.
"Are you okay Mom?"
"I'm fine."
Nic went to the kitchen. He came back with two spoons and Riley's container of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
She smiled at him.
"You're just like your dad.”
Sadness was in Nic’s eyes.
“You’re not going to let her take me away from you right?”
Riley didn’t know what she could promise yet.
“I will do everything I can to keep you with me Nic. I promise.”
“I don’t want to stay with her. She left me. She left Papa. What if she left me again?”
“You’ll never be alone, I’ll be here. I’ll always be here for you. I promised your Dad I would be, and I don’t break promises.”
They curled up on the couch with the tub of ice cream between them and clinked spoons.
“Cheers.” They both said in unison.
TEST DAY
Hayden woke up finding Kai not in the bed with him.
He walked through the apartment, finding her in the guest room sitting on the guest bed, with the contents of the baby box laid out around her. She was crying.
“I want this to happen for us Hayden.”
“And it will.”
“I keep hugging this teddy bear, hoping that one day, we will have a child that will hug it like I do.”
“How about once more -- for good luck?”
Kai gave the little plush white teddy bear a hug.
“My turn!” Hayden did the same.
“Are you ready to take the test now?”
“Yes… I really have to pee too.”
“Well that’s perfect timing then.”
Kai went into their bathroom and took the pregnancy test. Hayden set the timer on his phone.
“Whatever happens Kai, I love you, and I will make our dreams come true. I promise.”
She rested her forehead on his.
“I love you too.”
Kai went back into the bathroom and emerged after a few minutes wearing a smile.
“It worked?”
Kai smiled. “Look.”
Hayden glanced down seeing the two little blue lines indicating a positive result. askd
I need a vacation. I mean I really need a vacation. Work life has been a straight up dumpster fire, honestly everything is a dumpster fire. The only reprieve I’ve been getting is I am binge watching the series Lucifer on Netflix which has one of my favorite people in it.
Which now that I see he’s classified as Lawful Evil here which makes me wonder what kind of roller coaster am I in for with his character, now that I’ve been giggling like a school girl every time he is on camera now that i’ve hit season three of this series.
Here’s what I’ve posted in the last week in case you haven’t gotten tags. I’m about to start running with a new tag list, as of tomorrow.
Original Post Date: 03/21/21 at 11:58AM EST
TAG LIST UPDATE MARCH 2021
Meet My MC: Mia Jones
Mia’s 🌎 World: What We Missed🍋🍋🍋
Just The Way You Are: The Indescribable Moments🍋🍋
Yes I’m still working on two chapters of just the way you are at the same time. I am really loving this story line. I hope that you all like what i’m doing with it too.
And here we go!!!!
Testimony
Chapter 11: Just The Way You Are
The Book: Perfect Match x TRR
Pairing: Hayden!M x Kai!F x Liam x Riley
Status: Still in the Writing Process.
She glanced down at her phone, it read 7:10pm, Nico was late. He was never late.
She called him and his phone went directly to voicemail which was extremely odd for him. If anything, Nico would keep his phone on vibrate, but he never turned it off, and he always answered Riley’s calls no matter where he was.
Riley glanced at the door seeing blue lights. She saw her father storm through the door quickly, showing his badge to the hostess then scanning the room. Riley couldn't move. Jason's face turned stoic. Something bad had happened. He didn't want to tell Riley what he was about to. But he knew she would be the most calm with the news coming from him.
"Jelly, I need you to come with me right now."
"I can't leave. Nico is on the way, we're going to have dinner together."
"Honey, he's not coming."
"What do you mean?"
"There was an accident, you need to come with me."
"Is he okay?"
Riley glanced around the room seeing people watching their display.
"Jelly we need to go."
"Dad… is Nico okay?"
Her father's face softened.
"He's not… Jelly that's why we need to leave now, it's bad."
I Am The Earthquake
Chapter 12: Just The Way You Are
The Book: Perfect Match x TRR
Pairing: Hayden!M x Kai!F x Liam x Riley
Status: Still in the Writing Process.
“Could you always draw?”
“Can’t say I really tried to be honest.”
“Nico could, he used to draw these cute little caricatures of me.”
“Like this?” Leo asked.
He turned into a page in the sketch book. Riley glanced down at the picture and immediately at Liam.
“Exactly like that.” The little Riley caricature had her wearing tight pants and a cut off NYPD tee shirt.
“The first couple months after surgery, you drew a lot.”
“I don’t really remember honestly.”
“You were like a madman with that sketchbook for the longest time Liam. You wouldn’t put it down.”
Riley started in the beginning of the book.
It was like looking at snap shots of her during her relationship with Nico. She stopped on a page, her eyes welling with tears.
“You drew how I met him, how we re-met.”
Riley was in tears. Liam stepped closer to her to glance at the drawing. Riley was sitting under a tree with a tire swing, with a little puppy in her lap. It was Chance.
“Do you know what these words means you wrote here?”
Liam shook his head. “I don’t know what it means.”
“It’s Greek. Liam. It says, “My Heart, my soulmate. I will find you again.”
Substitute Queen
The Book: TRH and Beyond
Fast Forward Special: A Birthday Fic
Pairing: Liam x Riley / Maxwell x Taylor
Status: Still in the writing process.
Riley and Taylor giggled.
“You two should go away. It’s been one thing after another, and you guys deserve a vacation. Let me and Max take care of the kids.”
“Tay… you do realize that would be your two barely crawling plus my four. You two would be taking care of six children.”
“And your kids are pretty self sufficient. They can feed themselves.”
“You’ll need some reinforcements, Tay. For real. I’ll call Drake and Hana to help.”
“I really think me and Max can handle it.”
“Tay…”
“Me and Max can handle it.”
A week later, Riley and Liam were preparing to leave for their first vacation alone, since they had children.
Riley kissed and hugged each child.
“Now you kids behave for Auntie Taylor and Uncle Maxwell. I’m counting on you Miss Crown Princess for a report when I return. You know you’re first in command Ellie.”
Ellie stood up straight and squared her shoulders. “I promise Daddy, we’ll all be good.”
I saw something similar going around another Fandom for writers and thought it might be fun for Choices!
Thanks to @speedyoperarascalparty and @axwalker for tagging me!
I’d love to hear what some others like @dcbbw @ao719 @bbrandy2002 @burnsoslow @darley1101 would have to say what their favorites are.
1- Favorite fic you’ve written and why:
* This story will never change. The reason I came to the fandom was because I wanted to write a backstory for Riley Brooks from TRR. So my favorite Fic that I have written is The Life Of Riley Book One is solely Riley’s backstory up until she leaves for Cordonia, which i have her doing differently than canon. I always wanted to know what her life was like before Liam and Cordonia, and since PB left that out, I decided to create a life, and a family for her on my own. I also love the supernatural component of Riley’s brother Jaiden in this series.
*My close second favorite is Just the Way You Are: My favorites that I have written are honestly so because they helped answer some of the questions that I had in my heart about the series that I feel PB left unanswered. Being a crossover with Perfect Match, you get to see the life of the MC after the fall of EROS, her living her life with her LI which for me I chose Hayden for her. This series ALSO has a supernatural component.
2- Biggest success/most popular:
* Fast Forward: The story takes place a little over five years after Liam and Riley are married and have their children. There’s a of drama in this series, but overall it was popular.
3- Biggest flop/least popular:
*My favorite is of course the least popular one. The Life of Riley Book One. There is no basis for it, nothing resembling canon until you get to the last few chapters, is when we start to see glimpses of Liam and Riley in the months before they meet each other on the streets of New York, which is my meet cute for them. I did try to incorporate bits and pieces of Cordonia via newscasts throughout this series. So The Life of Riley has a lot of Original characters and I think that’s part of the reason it wasn’t as popular with readers, simply because there was no PB basis of who these characters were.
4- Most Challenging and why:
*Mia’s 🌎 World : This is the spin off of Pop’s Place. In Pop’s Place I was just truly beginning to develop Mia’s character, in Mia’s World, I really dove into some of her character flaws, and wrote her.... exactly how I was at her age. I felt awkward and struggled with insecurities. So it has been difficult writing her this way as I have in a way put myself on display in this series. A lot of the chapters in here are based on my personal college experiences. So for me, I’m very protective of my Mia character. Because... she is Me.
5- Something new you want to try:
* Who knows, maybe I’ll eventually start writing another story pairing. Right now i’ve only written TRR/TRH, and dabbled via crossovers into Perfect Match and the Freshman Series.
This is chapter 7 of Just the Way You Are. To catch up on what you’ve missed please click: Just the Way You Are Masterlist
Original Post date: 2/24/2021
The Book: Prerfect Match x TRR
Pairing: Hayden and Kai / TRR MC is single-ish
Word Count: 3192
Warnings: Profanity
Summary: More of Hayden and Liam’s friendship is revealed. Liam and Riley have breakfast together for the first time... alone. The squad goes out to dinner.
Taylor, Sal, Jaiden, and Nico are my own characters. All others belong to Pixelberry.
A/N: Working on giving my masterlist a face lift, here’s one of fruits of my labor. I hope you like it. I really don’t have a song for this one, so i’m not even going to bother picking one.
A/2: In this AU Jaiden is not the older brother, he is the younger brother. Jason and Ren Brooks after failing to conceive adopted twin girls and seven years later. Jaiden arrived!
“You have an identical twin sister?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you mention that?”
“She’s my sister, and we share the same face. That's it. Do you mention your sibling that doesn’t?”
“No.. but…”
“People get so drawn into the fact that we look alike, that they don’t realize that we’re still completely different people with different personalities. Yes we share a face… but that’s where the similarities end. People really start asking ten thousand questions when you say, you have an identical twin."
Riley laughed in her direction.
"Being that she's giving you the finger right now, looks like the two of you really hit it off. Come on let's smooth this over. I promise her bark is worse than her bite."
Riley grabbed his hand pulling him over to meet her sister. All Liam could think is that Riley was holding his hand.
Taylor immediately rolled her eyes.
"C’mon Tay be nice.”
“Why? He has corny jokes Riley. My God!!! They’re horrible.”
“You’re just a comedy snob because Max is a comedian.”
She smirked at Riley. Riley smirked back identically.
“Liam is a nice guy Taylor, if you give him a chance. I gave Maxwell a chance.”
“I’m engaged to Maxwell. Are you trying to get engaged to him Riley?”
Liam let out a surprised cough.
“In case you don’t speak in cough, that means no Ri.”
“That means, we just started hanging out and you’re trying to throw us down the aisle Taylor, overbearing much?”
Riley raised her eyebrow, crossing her arms over her arms over her chest. Riley tapped her foot impatiently.
“Finnnnneeeeeee!!!! You win. Okay, You win. Don’t do that thing like Mom does it drives me crazy."
Taylor took a sip of her coffee like she was taking a shot and then smiled sweetly at Liam.
"Hi Liam, I'm Taylor, Riley's sister. Nice to meet you."
Liam was impressed.
"That's all I ask. Thank you Taylor."
She saluted Riley. "Okay Mom."
"Come on Liam." She grabbed his hand again pulling him away from her.
They went to sit at a table away from Taylor. Liam was relieved. Though he thought Riley had the situation handled with her sister.
"Sorry I am late. Chance told me at the last second, he couldn't make it then I had to throw something on."
Riley smiled, so did Liam.
He glanced at Riley. If this was her just throwing clothes on, his heart ached to see what she looked like when really tried to look nice.
Riley looked amazing. Her hair and makeup were done. She was wearing a blue retro dress with pink flamingos on it, and her signature pink flip flops. Riley looked beautiful.
"Well if you rushed, Riley, I can't tell. I think you look beautiful."
Riley smiled biting her lip and her cheeks turned pink. She glanced down at the menu.
Riley was blushing!
"You make sure you let Chance know, I'm sad I couldn't hang out with him today. But I'm glad you're here Riley."
They ordered their food. Another Greek omelet for Riley. Liam ordered a different breakfast sampler.
When the food came he noticed as he ate Riley kept glancing at his plate.
“Want to try some?” Liam asked.
“No.. I’m fine.” Riley said hesitantly. They continued talking. It almost felt like a date to Liam.
When he glanced up, Riley was eyeing his plate again.
“Riley, you're giving my food the look of lust.” He slid his plate over to Riley.
“Well if you insist.” She said, taking a forkful of eggs, chopped potatoes, cheese, and sausage breakfast casserole.
“That is soooo good.”
“Maybe you should get it the next time you have breakfast here….with me…”
“I’d like that.” Riley’s cheeks turned a darker shade of pink. “Us to have breakfast again, and the breakfast casserole is a good idea too.”
“Alright.” Liam’s smile brightened even more.
Taylor watched her sister. She hadn’t seen someone make Riley smile like that in a long time. Maybe she was finally trying to let someone in. Taylor was going to give this Liam guy a chance, if he could make her smile like that. She hadn’t seen her smile that much since Nico.
“See you at work sis. See you around Liam.”
“It’s been interesting meeting you Taylor.”
Taylor smiled. “You know what, I like him a little more now. He’s honest.”
Hayden poured a cup of coffee. Hayden didn’t dislike anything. But he found that there were some flavorings he added to his coffee he enjoyed more than others.
“Hey Hayden!”
“What’s up Liam?”
“Nothing much, how are you?”
“I’m really good.”
Liam put his lunch bag in the fridge.
“I just want to thank you.”
“For what?” Hayden asked.
“For setting me up with Riley. It might not go anywhere, but I feel like I have a chance. We might have a chance. And I really like being around her.”
“I thought you two would be a good match for each other. You two have the same look in your eyes. The one you try to hide.”
“And what look is that Hayden?”
“Pain. I think the two of you could help each other heal.”
“You can see that in the both of us?”
“You don’t have to tell me about what happened to you Liam. Or you can, when you feel like you’re ready to. Just know you have a friend if you ever need to talk.”
Liam was humbled by Hayden's words. Regardless of what Hayden was or wasn't, Liam knew one thing. Hayden is a true friend. No one could convince him otherwise.
"Thank you Hayden."
Liam had heard horror stories about the matches. Especially the one that tried to kill the president. People that knew what Hayden was, stayed away from him in the office. Others were intrigued. All still kept their distance.
Hayden was alone at work a lot, until Liam decided to sit with him one day at lunch.
“Mind if I sit with you?” Liam asked that day.
“Sure, I guess my days of hoarding seats are now over.”
Both Hayden and Liam laughed.
Liam liked Hayden immediately. They talked about everything. Hayden finally asked the question that was on his mind.
“Why did you sit with me?”
“You looked like you needed a friend. I need one too.”
“Jai, do you have your wallet?”
“Riley you’re worse than Mom.”
“Well if you want to have a drink, they’re going to card you. No one will believe my baby faced brother is twenty one without seeing your license.”
She pinched Jaiden's cheek.
"God you are Mom!!!!"
"And don’t be afraid to talk, Jai. You cared about him too.”
“Okay Riley.”
When they arrived at The Ruby Apple, they were the first to arrive.
“Sal, can we get our usual booth?”
“Sure sweetheart, it only seems like yesterday was the last time all you all were here together.”
Riley slid into the booth glancing at all the pictures on the wall. The Ruby Apple had been one of Nico’s favorite places, and their group of friends were regulars there. They had their own booth. And there it was, a picture of the group together celebrating Nico’s birthday, the last one he had with the group. Nico had put on two birthday hats on his chest, and looked like Madonna when she wore that cone bra in her music video.
He was sticking his chest into Riley’s face, and everyone was laughing. Everyone filed in, that was in town. Drake, Max, Taylor, Liv, Bert, Savannah, and Kai.
“Where’s Hayden?”
“He decided he would stay in tonight.”
"He knew he was welcome right?"
"Oh of course Ri, he knew."
“Sal, can we…..”
“Loaded nachos for the table and your first round?”
“Yes.”
“Let me see Super Boy’s id.”
Taylor laughed. “That’s funny.”
Jaiden handed over his driver’s license.
“I’ll have my waitress bring your stuff over."
A few minutes later a young woman walked over to the table. Jaiden sat up straight.
Riley raised an eyebrow.
“Mia!!” Kai screeched. “What are you doing here?”
“Working, I pull some shifts here when we’re not on the food truck to make a little extra money.”
Jaiden kept staring at her. She smiled at him. She passed out the shots. It was Nico’s favorite. Baby Guinness.
“It looks like I have one extra. I’m sorry, I’ll take it back.”
“No leave it. There was supposed to be one more.” Riley said with a sad look in her eyes.
Mia left the shot. “I’ll be back in a few with your loaded nachos for the table.”
“Let’s do this.” Drake commented. “Everyone hold your glasses up. Only for you would I drink this weak ass shot for, because you know I’m a whiskey man. And because of that, I know you are smiling down on all of us. We fuckin’ miss you, and love you Nico KH. Cheers.”
Everyone clinked glasses and downed their drinks.
“That’s not weak!” Jaiden coughed.
“Says the twenty-one year old that’s had more cough syrup in his life, than actual liquor.”
“Taylor God! He’s your brother, why do you have to be so ruthless?” Bert laughed.
“You act like you just met me. You know this about me. My sensor is perpetually broken.”
She slid by Jaiden. “I’ll be right back.”
Sal stopped her.
"Riley, I'm so sorry about the number of shots, I wasn't thinking."
"It's alright Sal."
Riley went into the bathroom to compose herself a little bit. She wiped her eyes and touched up her makeup. She felt it a victory she hadn't cried today. She sighed walking out of the bathroom when she saw him.
Liam was sitting in a booth alone, reading a book. Not a kindle, an actual book. Riley smiled. She didn't know why she found it so endearing that he was reading an actual book, and chuckling to himself.
"Liam?"
He looked up at her.
"Hey!"
"What are you reading?"
"It's called The Greek Meet. It's absolutely hilarious."
"Isn't that a movie?"
"It is, but oftentimes the books are always better than the movie versions. The author was consulted on this one, it's pretty close to the book."
"Good deal! Are you alone Liam?"
"Yeah, but I'm fine Riley." He smiled at her.
"Liam…."
"I'm used to it." He reassured her.
His words stung Riley's heart.
"What happened to you Liam?"
"I was sick a lot as a kid. I spent a lot of time alone in a hospital room."
"Come sit with us Liam."
He shook his head no.
"It's okay Riley. I'm fine really."
"Please?"
He glanced up at her.
"If you insist."
Liam followed Riley over to the big booth full of people.
"Who's this clown?" Drake asked.
"Drake don't be a Taylor."
Everyone at the table laughed at Jaiden's comment.
"I resent that. And from all people, my little brother. Really Jai?"
"It's what we do. Broken sensors and sarcasm is a love language we're sure."
Drake and Taylor high fived each other.
Riley introduced Liam to the table as her friend. He sat next to Riley and across from Kai.
Mia showed up with another round of drinks.
"This one is on Sal! Hey about time you showed up! You missed the first round. Just in time for the second."
"Excuse me?" Liam looked confused.
Mia passed out the shots.
"You said there was supposed to be one more. This is him right?"
Oh God. Liam thought as he looked at Riley. They were here for Nico.
Riley stammered. No one knew what to say.
Riley's face fell.
"Yeah! I'm always late. You know me." Liam said with a smile at Riley.
"Great! I'll be back with your Nachos."
Drake gave Liam a nod of approval. He had earned respect at the table.
"Come on then let's do this before the damn alcohol evaporates. You too Liam."
Everyone held up their drinks.
“You know we got more people in this booth this year without your big ass head in the way? We still miss you though. Happy birthday in heaven.”
Everyone drank their shots.
“Softie, your emotions… “ Maxwell nudged Taylor.
“I am NOT SOFT!!!” You know this about me Max."
“So how was it?”
“Not terrible. Actually, I liked it.”
Mia came back with the huge plates of Nachos.
“Yasssssssssssss!!!” Maxwell screamed.
Riley looked at Liam. “Thanks.” she whispered to him.
He winked at her. “No problem.”
Mia refilled the waters on the table.
“Can I get a coke?” Jaiden blushed at Mia.
“Sure sweetie, I got ya.”
“Somebody’s got a crush on the cute waitress.”
“She’s nineteen.”
“How do you know that Kai?” Riley asked.
“She runs my favorite food truck with her dad. You saw the cute shirts. Pops on the Go. That’s Pop’s daughter Mia.”
“She’s even made her uniform a little spunky. She stands out from all the other waitresses.
“And not to mention her pink chuck taylors.”
“Her what?” Jaiden asked.
“Jaiden her shoes.”
“They’re converse.”
“You’re so young. But you know what we’re going to help you. We’re feeling inspired. I feel like Nico would help you out. Nico KH was a great wingman. We’re going to be your wing people tonight.”
“Kai you’re up.” Drake said.
“Here’s your coke.”
.
“Thank you.” Jaiden’s cheeks were bright red.
“Hey Mia?”
“Yeah Kai?”
“Between Pops and here, how in the world do you have time for a social life?”
Mia laughed. “What social life? The most social I am right now, has media behind it, or talking to my customers.”
“You mean to tell me as adorable as you are, you’re not seeing anyone currently?”
“No, not right now.”
Kai glanced at Jaiden and winked.
“Can I get you guy’s dinner orders going?”
She paused. Jaiden was just staring at her in awe saying nothing.
Riley hit him. “Jai, she wants your food order!!!”
“OH!!! Can you come back to me, I’m not sure yet.”
Taylor made the sound of someone crashing and burning.
“You’re going to hell Taylor.” Drake said.
“With the way you drink whiskey, Drake, you're gonna be there first. You can save me a seat in the lake of fire.”
By the time it was Jaiden’s turn to order he still looked indecisive.
“What’s your favorite thing on the menu?”
“My favorite is the tofu burger with carrot fries.”
Drake made vomit sounds.
“Seriously?” Jaiden asked. Yeah he wasn’t going to attempt that one for a girl.
“Um no. Get the Monster bacon burger with loaded fries.”
“That sounds really good.”
They enjoyed their dinner.
Mia passed out all the checks.
Riley grabbed Jaiden’s.
“I owe you dinner.”
She took his. She smiled when she opened it.
“You might want this though.”
On a little separate piece of paper was Mia’s phone number.
Jaiden smiled when he looked at the digits written on the piece of paper.
He picked up his phone.
Drake snatched the paper away.
“Don’t you text her yet!!!!!!”
“Don’t play games with her.” Savannah said. All the women at the table nodded.
“He’s not supposed to text right away. Makes him look over eager.”
“Um he is eager. Let’s be real.”
“Are you staying with me tonight Jai?”
“Do you mind?”
“Nope, you’re a little wobbly, you’re coming home with me.”
“If that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black. You too Riley.”
“I can walk you guys back if you want.”
“Thank you Liam that would be great.”
Liam waited for Riley and Jaiden outside.
Drake approached him.
“You know that was really nice what you did for her earlier in there. None of us knew what to say without hurting her.”
“Not a big deal, I was only trying to help make an awkward situation… less awkward you know?”
“Riley is like a sister to me. She’s been through a lot. If you break her heart, I will break your face. Am I clear?”
Liam swallowed thickly. “Crystal.”
Drake slapped Liam on the back when Riley came up.
"Nice seeing you Liam. Remember what I said!"
Liam, Riley, and Jaiden started walking to Riley's apartment in silence.
"My feet hurt." Riley grumbled.
"C'mon Ri."
Jaiden crouched in front of her.
She hopped onto his back. After a few blocks Jaiden’s pace really slowed.
Jaiden grumbled. "I'm not going to make it."
He put Riley down on a park bench.
"My feet still hurt.”
"Do you trust me?" Liam inquired.
"Within reason, why?"
"This is why."
Liam effortlessly picked Riley up carrying her over the threshold.
Riley wrapped her arms around Liam's neck.
"I feel like a princess." Riley giggled still a little tipsy.
"No Riley, you're a Queen."
"Queen Riley. That's pretty nice."
Riley rested her head on Liam's chest, hearing his heart beat steady in his chest. It lulled Riley right to sleep.
Liam tried to pass some knowledge on to Riley’s younger brother.
"You know Jaiden, I agree with the ladies about Mia. If you want to get to know her better, text her. Don't wait. She seems like a really sweet girl."
"Is Riley snoring?"
Liam glanced down at Riley again. Her head was nestled right next to his heart.
"She's out like a light."
"You like my sister don't you?"
"What's not to like? She's amazing!"
"Riley is not going to forget him, Liam."
"I'm not asking her to. I'm just hoping she will open her heart to me."
"It's the same thing."
"It isn't. I know I can't replace him. There is a part of her heart that will always be his because of the way she lost him. I'm not asking her for that. I don't want that part of her. What I do want is the chance to make her happy, her to give me a chance to. And we could find a happy place together, her and I ."
He glanced at Riley. She snorted, waking herself up. Jaiden was laughing, Liam was trying hard not to. He just thought she was so damn cute.
"Was I snoring?"
"No, not at all Riley, you just breathe heavy."
"Where's your key? We're at your place."
Liam put Riley down at her door. Riley fished in her purse for her keys.
“Want to say hi to your buddy?” Riley asked.
Hell ya I do!”
Chance ran up to Liam once they got inside the apartment.
“He really likes you a lot.”
“Yeah no one else matters when Liam is around. Don’t forget who feeds you every day twice a day Chance.”
“I think it’s forgotten.” Liam chuckled.
Liam saw Jaiden get excited as he looked at his phone.
"Mia just texted me back!"
"I'm so glad you didn't listen to Drake."
"Yeah I listened to Liam."
"What about your sisters or all the other women at the table."
"I am the great and powerful Li. Wise beyond his years. " he said with a wink.
Riley rolled her eyes.
The next morning Riley woke up with a headache.
“Ri! Where’s your sugar?” Jaiden called through the door.
“In the sugar bowl on the table.”
Riley groaned grabbing her head.
“Ugh.. Baby Guinness, you are not my friend.”
Riley settled back into bed and closed her eyes. She heard a soft mumble and the bed settled next to her.
Riley opened her eyes. She rolled over finding Liam sleeping in the bed next to her shirtless.
This is chapter 6 of Just The Way You are. To catch up on what you’ve been reading click: Just the Way You Are Masterlist
The Book: CROSSOVER: Perfect Match x TRR
Pairing: Hayden x Kai / TRR MC is single (past pairing includes Nico Karahalios)
Word Count: 2489
Summary: Liam walks Riley home after some strange things happens. Even more strange events continue as Liam goes inside Riley’s apartment for the first time. Hayden and Kai have a date night out with Dipper.
Riley, Liam, Hayden, Kai, Chance and Dipper, all belong to Pixelberry, all others are my own characters to help tell our story.
Warnings: Mention of character death, Profanity.
This is my submission for @choicesfebchallenge day #9 Chance. Which I took completely literal.
A/N: DW is at it again. We have two special guest stars in this episode Pops and Mia visit Just The Way You Are, from my series: Pops Place. The dynamic is slightly different as they have crossed into this AU. You’ll see.
Song Inspiration: “If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time” R Kelly
I don’t own rights to the Music.
She walked in silence with Liam, holding the quarter tight in her hand. Could Liam have given it to her? It didn't make sense, why or how she got the coin, unless Nico really came to her. But Riley didn't believe in the supernatural, Riley barely believed in God in recent years, her faith completely shaken, and honestly nonexistent after Nico's untimely passing.
The idea of peace of having religion in her life Riley found comforting. However, she hated the idea of the same entity that placed Nico in her life for her to love, had not even two years later ripped him away from her so suddenly, it was cruel. How could something supposedly so good, be so cruel?
He murdered Nico. That's what Donovan Jacobs did when he decided to get behind the wheel of his SUV knowing he should not be driving and him striking Nico's SUV, essentially taking the greatly loved father, son, soon to be fiancé (we know Riley would have accepted his proposal), and best friend. There was hurt and anger in Riley's heart now for it and he was going to feel every bit of it when she gazed upon his face at the trial.
Riley had only seen Donovan's picture in the paper. But trust and believe she hated the man.
"Are you going home Riley? Maybe you should lay down for a bit once you get there."
"That might be a good idea."
"Do you mind if I walk with you? I just don't want you to get dizzy again and be alone."
Riley nodded.
He helped her gather her blanket and guitar. He glanced down seeing a little cop car on his headstone.
"That's cute."
"Nico was a criminal profiler for the NYPD. His son left it."
"You have a son?"
"He's not my blood, but I feel like he's mine. He just turned 10 two months ago. He’s still a very large part of my life. I see him at least several times a week."
"That's good you’ve stayed consistent for him. Often times... when relationships.....end... the kids are left missing the person they got to know."
"He has a lot of father figures in his life now to try to help him cope, my brother and my friends, we make sure he's loved."
"That's noble of your friends."
When they arrived at the apartment she noticed Liam was sweating a little.
"Do you want to come up and cool off for a bit? Maybe have a drink?"
"I don't drink."
"It's barely past noon. I'm not an alcoholic. I meant like lemonade or something."
Liam laughed, "My bad. Sure."
Liam followed Riley to her apartment. Her door was painted a bright pink.
"That's unique."
She glanced at him.
"That means you hate it."
"No it's unique. I like pink. Men can like pink."
He winked at Riley.
Riley opened the door to her apartment.
Putting her keys in the dish beside the door. Riley's apartment was spacious, decorated, nice and neat.
"Here Chance!" She called out to a small Corgi that came running around the corner.
Riley was a few paces in front of Liam. Chance ran right around Riley and barked happily at Liam.
Riley turned around and looked at Liam.
Liam picked up Chance and laughed as he licked his face.
"Hey Buddy."
"He normally doesn't like strangers."
"Yeah I can tell he's absolutely ruthless. You've got quite the attack dog here Riley."
Riley laughed out loud.
He put Chance down.
Chance started rolling over on the floor, in front of Liam, and he had crouched down, giving Chance tummy scratches.
"My attack dog is absolutely worthless! See why I have a conceal and carry? He'd lick our intruder to death."
Liam smiled.
"Well at least he killed them. Kindness might not be the most effective route though."
Riley burst out laughing.
He loved her laugh, and she seemed to like his corny jokes.
"Do you mind if I use your bathroom?"
"Sure it's…." Riley's phone rang. She paused to answer.
Liam knew walked down the hallway. He knew exactly where it was.
When he was done he could hear Riley still on the phone. She was speaking in Greek again. He walked into her room glancing around it. It caught the light of the sun. He walked to her night table and on it there was a man's watch.
He picked it up. Maybe she was seeing someone. He turned the watch over finding, it was broken and the time on the watch was 6:32. He knew immediately what he was looking at. Nico's watch, and time the accident happened. He put the watch down and picked up the picture frame. It was Riley, with who he was guessing was Nico, in a cute candid photo. Riley was wearing a blue dress her head tilted back laughing while Nico held her tight in his arms. When his fingers grazed the face of the watch he felt a jolt of electricity go through him causing the watch to drop back on the night table.
Laughter. Riley's laughter was soft in his ear. He wrapped his arms around her while he was wearing the watch.
What the?.... he thought. But it was still working. He noticed the second hand still moving. What is this? Liam thought.
"No, stay in bed with me. Both of us are off today."
That wasn't his voice he thought.
"I'm hungry, I'm going to make us some breakfast. You relax. You work so hard."
He hugged her tightly. "You feed those curves Girl."
Riley got out of bed exposing her naked body to him.
Liam gasped. Holy hell!!! God she was perfect in every way.
Then he heard his voice, but not his voice say..
"I love every inch of your sexy body Riley. You're so beautiful, you're my goddess."
She slipped her robe on. "Well your Goddess says go back to sleep." She kissed his lips softly.
"What are you doing?"
Liam jumped, and could still taste Riley on his lips when he opened his eyes.
He didn't know what happened, following her eyes to the floor. He had dropped her picture frame.
"I'm so….so sorry Riley."
"It's okay, just let me clean it up. You go back to the living room."
Riley was carefully picking up the pieces of glass.
She glanced back at Liam as he walked out the door. Chance followed behind him, like he was his shadow.
When she came back in the room both Liam and Chance looked sad. Chance was sitting on Liam's lap.
"I'm sooo sorry Riley." Liam's voice was so apologetic.
"It's okay Liam. It was an accident." She carried two glasses of lemonade and handed him one.
"Thank you."
"I've never seen Chance so taken with someone."
In minutes, Chance had already fallen asleep in Liam's lap.
"He must recognize dog people. They always had therapy dogs visit when I was in the hospital. Dogs are so good at sensing when you are alone, scared or sad."
"What were you in the hospital for?"
"Not winning the genetic lottery." Liam smiled weakly.
"Are you okay now?"
"Yes, Things are great!"
"My friend Drake says that all the time."
There was something about his life that he wasn't ready to share either. She could relate to that.
Riley changed the subject and they continued to talk. Time flew by. Chance finally woke up.
"Oh thank God," Liam said standing up. "My legs are asleep."
"He does that to me too. Looks like you're his favorite person now."
"Then maybe we should see more of each other at places he might frequent. I guess he can bring you along too, Riley. You know to the dog walking park, the fire hydrant right out front, the vet?”
Riley smiled again.
“Chance you call me when you want to hang out brotha.”
Riley bit her lip. “Maybe Chance would like to have breakfast tomorrow.”
“It is the most important meal of the day I hear. We should start our day off right. Good thinking Chance. I’d like that.”
“Take care of yourself Riley. See you tomorrow Chance.”
Chance barked excitedly.
Riley hurried and changed clothes to get ready to head over to Nico’s mother’s house for dinner.
“I want to get out of the house tonight Hayden. Let’s do something out tonight.”
“There’s a movie on the lawn at the park.”
“What’s playing?”
“Since it's almost Halloween they are doing a Fright Night Series. Stir of Echoes.”
“Oooooh. Spooky I love that one!!!!! What food truck do they have tonight? Please say it’s Pop’s On The Go. I really need you to say it’s Pop’s on the Go.”
“Well Kai I hate to disappoint you, but the food truck they’re having is…. Pop’s On The Go.”
Kai was ready to be disappointed until she had realized fully what he said.
“Pops and Mia are so cute, they banter back and forth together they are adorable. I really wish they had an actual restaurant. I definitely would eat there all the time. His chilli cheese fries are life.”
“So do we want blankets or folding chairs?”
“We want blankets,” they both said in unison smiling at each other.
They got their blankets and headed to the park with Dipper in tow.
“Dipper be a good girl and mommy will give you some chilli cheese fries.”
Dipper barked happily.
“You will not give our baby chilli cheese fries. Has she had chilli cheese fries before?”
Kai shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe?"
“Kai, seriously?”
“She’s got a stomach of rocks like her Momma.”
“Kai…..”
“You love me.”
“Let’s get us our chilli cheese fries. None for Dipper.”
“Hey Pops!”
“Kai! I knew I’d be seeing you tonight! You always seem to make it out this way when our truck is out here.”
“You have the best snacks around Pops. Can we get two orders of chilli cheese fries, with two colas?”
“And I got something for you Dipper.”
Pops took out a box of dog treats.
“Got to make all my customers happy.”
He handed Hayden dog treats for Dipper.
“Thank you Pops.”
“Mia, did you make those shirts?”
Mia nodded.
Pops and Mia were wearing matching shirts. There were also a few hanging on the side of the van.
“You should be in design school, you’d do really well there.”
“It’s just a hobby.”
“Looks like an untapped revenue stream to me.” Hayden responded.
“We’ll also be taking two of your shirts too.”
Mia perked up. “Really?”
“See, I told you people would like them Pops.”
“Yep Pops, you’re looking stylish.”
Pop's stuck his chest out proudly. "She makes me a stylish and proud pops every day!"
Pops gave Mia a smile as she pulled down the shorts they wanted, and bagged them up.
They paid for their food and their shirts and picked a comfy spot on the lawn.
Hayden placed their blankets on the ground while Kai held the food. He set up their large blanket first, and even Dipper got her own Dipper sized blanket to curl up on and in. Dipper quickly curled up on her own little blanket, while Hayden and Kai got settled under the tree.
He loved watching Kai watch movies. She had so many. Hayden had to build another book shelf for Kai's DVD collection. And this movie he had seen with her several times. Kai was engrossed in the movie as if it was her first time watching it.
“And all this happened because he was hypnotized to be more open minded. It’s crazy and I love it!!!”
Kai begrudgingly went to the bathroom seeing Mia walking out.
"Mia! Your shirts you made are truly awesome.”
“Thanks Kai, that means a lot.”
“And I was serious about design school, how old are you now Mia?”
“I’m nineteen.”
“You should be in college sweetheart.”
“Pops needs me. Things have been really hard for us. I used to think about things like college before Mom got sick. She had cancer.”
“She’s in remission?”
“No… she died.”
“I’m so sorry Mia.”
Mia’s eyes filled with tears.
“So my last two years of high school my grades weren’t good. I helped take care of my mom and worked with Pops. I probably couldn’t get into a design school anyway.”
That sweet young girl, that always had a smile on her face every time she saw her, was carrying the weight of the world in her heart.
She hugged Mia.
“You’re going to get the chance to chase your dream Mia. Please don’t give up on it.”
“Thank you Kai, I’ve got to get back.”
Kai headed back over to Hayden embracing him.
“What’s wrong?”
Kai told him about her exchange with Mia.
"I'm gonna call Hana and see if she has some contacts out this way that can see Mia's work.
"That's nice of you Kai."
"Mia's a good kid, she shouldn't have to give up on her dream because her family has had a rough time."
Liam got a text early that next morning. "Chance couldn't make it, and he was wondering if it was okay for Riley to meet him instead?"
"Sure, I guess Riley is an okay substitute, though I was kind of looking forward to hanging out with my main man Chance."
Riley smiled down at the text. What was that feeling she was feeling in her heart. She took a deep breath. She went over to her dresser expecting it to be gone. She imagined it all. But the coin was still there. She put it in her pocket. And headed to the restaurant.
Riley was already there when he got there.
He walked up to her pulling out the chair and sitting across from her.
Her glance shot up at him.
"Um….."
"Hey, how are you doing?"
"Fine… Can I help you?"
"I know I wasn't who you were expecting as a breakfast buddy today."
Liam smiled at his joke. Riley did not.
"I actually wasn't expecting anyone."
"Okay…." He wasn't quite sure what game Riley was playing.
"So are you going to order the same thing or get something different?"
"We don't know each other."
"Riley, you're acting really strange."
"That's your problem right there, I'm not Riley, I'm her sister."
He wondered if this had anything to do with her fainting yesterday.
"Riley, this is weird and teetering on the edge of certifiable. You invited me to breakfast and if you didn't want to meet up, you could have said and pretended to be, oh I don't know your twin sister? Thanks but no thanks."
"Not Riley, corny jokes dude! You seem like just the type she would like."
Liam jumped up from the table heading towards the door. When he saw her. Riley was walking through the door. She smiled at him.
Liam halted in his tracks.
"Hi Liam, I hope I'm not too late. Chance was upset he couldn't make it and I had to cheer him up."
She smiled. Liam looked incredibly confused.
Liam glanced back at the woman sitting at the table. She smirked at him.
Eeeeep!!! Thanks @purpleyin for the awesome BTTF banners!!!!! So you will be seeing these for a bit. So here’s what I’ve got for you all. Writing has been slow this week with work and training my new person, and days have been long. But these are the projects I’ve been typing on a few sentences here and there on.
On each story I have put the link of the masterlist in the title, so if you’ve missed a chapter, you have the link to the masterlist to see what you’ve missed. I really believe I have the worst tags as they seem to go out horribly late if at all if you receive them.
Future Plans
Just the Way You Are: Chapter 5
The Book: CROSSOVER: Perfect Match x TRR
Pairings: Hayden x Kai / TRR MC is single
Status: Still in the Writing Process
Dr. McGovern laughed.
“Was she pretty?”
“Yes, but…..”
“Liam, has it been that long that you are mistaking simple attraction for a legitimate medical side effect?”
“I mean...... I’ve been the sick kid for so long. I guess you’re right.”
“Sounds like you need to get to know your lady friend a little better Liam.”
Pairings: Liam x Riley / Ellie x OC (Nic Karahalios)
Status: Still in the writing process
“We’ll send a car around for them in the morning yeah?”
“Probably not too early,” Maxwell said.
The music was already thumping. They glanced at Ellie, she had already converted her dress from its long flowing gown to the short party cocktail dress. She was dancing in her bare feet with Nic laughing.
“They’ll be fine,” Taylor smiled at Riley.
“It’s the last party all the kids will be together at.”
“Then we’ll allow them to have a good time then Riley. We’re the old protective parents now.”
“Let the Cool Uncle handle it,” Maxwell smiling at them.
“We’ll have a private party tonight, I promise. Just us, My Queen, and I’ve got the perfect attire for it.”
She knew full well what his attire consisted of. NOTHING. Naked Liam was planning on making an appearance.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
The Purge
Mia's 🌎 World : Chapter 9
The Book: CROSSOVER: TRR x The Freshman
Pairings: (TRR MC x M!OC?) / Chris x Emily
Status: Still in the writing process
Chris ran with Mia at her pace. When he could tell she was really starting to get tired he added walking intervals.
"You're doing really great Mia."
"I'm running like a turtle."
"You're still running, and you're challenging yourself, and that's all that matters."
"This is barely a warmup for you I'm sure.
A huge smile crossed Chris's face.
"I will get a second workout in for sure."
They were about to lap Emily again. He jogged up to her smacking her behind. "Cuz my baby got back!"
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Here We Grow!
Epilogue: Fast Foward
The Book TRH
Pairing: Liam x Riley
Status: Still in the writing process
Liberty pulled Ellie’s hair.
“Stop it Libby!!! Make her stop!!! Mom!!!”
She said it again. Ellie called her Mom.
“Liberty Wren Rys!!!! You better stop that, I mean it.”
"I'm sorry Mommy." Libby’s voice was apologetic.
They piled in their extended cab SUV. Each child had a gift for Lily and Violet they put in the back of the trunk.
“When did I just become ‘Mom’ to Ellie Liam?”
“I haven’t been ‘Daddy’ for a while now Riley. She’s ten. She’ll be eleven on her next birthday in a few weeks. She’s growing up. She even has a little boyfriend.”
“She does not!!!!”
“She does! Nic is…..”
“Nic is just her friend!!! They grew up together, like siblings.”
He shook his head at Riley smiling.
“You really don’t see it between them do you?”
“See what?”
“Watch them closely, the next time you see them together.”
